How to Refer

We make it easy for physicians to refer pediatric patients for transplant evaluation.

 We’re here to assist you through the entire process — from the preliminary clinical review to insurance authorization to transplant surgery.

Our physicians are available via in-person interactions, by phone, email, or through teleconference sessions. 

To refer a patient, please call 412-692-6110 or email livertransplant@chp.edu.

 

Pediatric Liver Transplant at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

 At UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, we are your partner for managing and treating patients with liver disease.  Our team maintains open communication and collaboration with referring physicians, and we are dedicated to working with you to remove any barriers to liver transplant that your patients may face. 

There are more than 14,000 Americans on the waiting list for a liver transplant and roughly only 6,500 deceased-donor livers are available for transplant. That means less than 50 percent of those on the waiting list will be able to receive a liver transplant. It can be even more difficult for children, because the size of the liver has to match.

What Does this Mean for Your Patient?

For pediatric patients on the liver transplant waiting list, a living-donor liver transplant provides a life-saving alternative and can help overcome the limitations of the waiting list, with improved outcomes compared with deceased-donor liver transplants. A living-donor liver transplant is possible because of the liver’s unique ability to regenerate, or regrow, in about eight to 10 weeks. While recovery time may vary, most donors are back to baseline health within three months after surgery.

Additional benefits of a living donor transplant include: 

  • Shorter wait times — This procedure can help eliminate the long wait on the national transplant list.
  • Elective surgery advantage — With living donation, the operation can be scheduled electively, when the recipient is in optimal condition, which enhances the probability of success following transplantation.
  • Improved long-term outcomes — Transplant candidates generally have better results and better genetic matches when they receive organs from living donors as compared to deceased donors.
  • Treatment options for many disorders — The Hillman Center for Pediatric Transplantation at Children’s Hospital treats a range of disorders, including acute and end-stage liver disease as well as metabolic disorders, including maple syrup urine disease (MSUD).

Giving New Hope to Children with Metabolic Disease

Liver transplantation is more than a life-saving procedure; it’s also an innovative approach to improving quality of life for patients with inborn metabolic diseases that are liver specific. Our team has performed more than 330 liver transplants for metabolic disease, which is more than any other center, including adult facilities. Also, we’re leaders in living-donor liver transplants for metabolic disease, which eliminates wait times for a deceased-donor liver transplant. 

UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Pediatric Liver Clinic at UPMC Pinnacle

The Pediatric Liver Transplant Program at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh has expanded its expertise and comprehensive team approach to patients at UPMC Pinnacle. Experts from UPMC Children’s Hospital are available to meet with and provide hepatology and liver transplant services to patients in central Pennsylvania. To learn more, call 412-692-6428.

About UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

  • UPMC has performed more pediatric liver transplants than any other center in the United States and is the leading center for pediatric living-donor liver transplantation, performing more than any other pediatric transplant center in the country. 
  • Our expertise in liver transplant and living donation allows us to accept patients who have been deemed high-risk and have been turned down for a transplant at another center.